b'Austin Riggs, Pharmacy, Class of 2021Confidence, to me, is the ability to be comfortableOne day, he aspires to follow in donors footsteps and in your own skin and know your strengths andgive back. weaknesses, said Austin Riggs, a student in Marshall Universitys School of Pharmacy. Its the ability toScholarships mean opportunity. I am a Health celebrate your and everyone elses differences andSciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) Scholar embrace change. Confidence, for me, is being afraid,and without the opportunities that the program allows but doing what makes you happy, anyway. Its beingme to have, I wouldnt have grown or be where I am able to march to the beat of your own drum and betoday, he said. I come from an underserved and happy and have fun with life.underprivileged area in southern West Virginia where it feels that not very many people get to prove that they The Big Sandy, West Virginia, native will graduateare worth an opportunity. My scholarship allows me to in 2021 and hopes to serve the community as abreak that stereotype and show that one can achieve pharmacist. He attended Marshall for undergraduatehis goals regardless of their adversities. I would school and chose the university after attending anot be where I am today without the support from summer camp here, explaining that the school wasscholarships, family, friends and the help of Marshalls welcoming and provided a sense of home andstaff.belonging. His favorite part of the pharmacy program is the team focus.Austin is involved in Phi Delta Chi, Delta Alpha Chapter, which is one of the largest pharmacy The emphasis on teamwork brings classmates togetherfraternities in the country. He enjoys going to the Rec and allows us to fully understand the material. MarshallCenter because it allows him to reduce his school stress has provided many students an opportunity, not justand get his mind off things. The area between Old to get an education, but to grow as people and learnMain and Smith Hall is his favorite place on campus. more about themselves and the world around them.He enjoys hiking the trails at the Huntington Museum of I think giving back shows a sense of humility andArt and riding his bicycle. Austin dreams of Marshalls gratitude, he said. continued prosperity and hopes the universitys growth continues. He hopes to see an increase in community Austin most looks forward to learning about enhancinginvolvement and believes the university and its donors patient care and how to improve the relationshipsprovide opportunities and acceptance. He hopes to with patients and health care providers and believesinspire future generations to seek higher education, scholarships have filled him with confidence that willwhile maintaining confidence in their roots. assist him in his career.I hope the confidence I have worked on will In pharmacy, it is important for professionals to beencourage people from poor communities to go after confident in their decisions to maximize the quality oftheir dreams. With a little extra work and support, they, life in their patients. The confidence instilled in me willtoo, can accomplish their goals and change their life, allow me to ask the appropriate questions and to behe said, acknowledging Marshall donors truly made a able to communicate to other health care professionalsdifference for him. with the patients best interest in mind. It will also help me incorporate patient decision making in the futureDonors are worth celebrating because without them, and allow any communication gap to be closed. people like myself wouldnt have the opportunities they have today. Thanks to the aid of my scholarships, my Scholarships help make Austins educational journeyentire life will shape out differently and change the way possible. As a HSTA Scholar, he was awarded eightmy family in future generations will grow and learn.semesters paid for at any in-state college or university.'